The Last of the Real World for Now

As of February 11, 2008 at 8:00 AM
Steps: 1,249,047
Miles: 531.85
Miles to Georgia: 1.15


The Schuylkill River Bike Path is very close to the active train line in certain places. It's nice to walk downwind when it's cold and take the train back. Its a little off-putting though, when you walk 2 or 3 hours and the train ride back to where you started only takes 10 minutes!


This photograph is from the same spot the very green, panoramic one from the "Barren Hill - May 20, 1778" was taken in the summer. The river is always a sight worth looking at, no matter what the season or the water level. The Spring Mill train station is less than 50 yards from here.


The Spring Mill train station - back in the Reading Railroad days.


The thing that is there today. I guess its sort of a shelter.

Yesterday in the Real World

Valley Forge National Historical Park
February 9, 2008

A gloomy morning on the Schuykill River Bike Path.

Established in 1893, Valley Forge was Pennsylvania’s first state park. In 1893 the independent Valley Forge Park Commission was created by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania "to preserve, improve, and maintain as a public park the site on which General George Washington's army encamped at Valley Forge."

In 1976, the bicentennial year, Pennsylvania gave the park as a gift to the nation. On the 4th of July, 1976, the park was transferred to the National Park System as Valley Forge National Historical Park.

Any maintenance on this building probably ceased about that time. It was a picnic pavillion and had a fireplace. Next to it were 3 or 4 outdoor cooking pits. After making doubly sure that there were no Orange Coneheads in view, I took this picture - its not a huge landmark, but ... I thought the sight was sort of ghostly and fit in well with the gloom and my mood at the time. I have a feeling the building won't be with us much longer.

Photos In The Attic, Last Part

As of February 10, 2008 at 8:00 AM
Steps: 1,230,613
Miles: 524.00
Miles to Georgia: 9.00


Undated. Circa 1925? - Somewhere in Oklahoma.

My Mom was born more than a dozen years after her bother and sister. So the age gap made them (my Uncle and Aunt) seem as old as her parents to me.

Her Dad, Mom, Brother and Sister are in this picture taken at a family reunion in Oklahoma. A large family, some of them were actually and really Oklahoma Sooners. While the picture is unfortunately (to me anyway) undated, the backside has black typing on black paper listing everyone on the frontside's names.

While the presumed many offspring of these people are my relatives, I've never met any of them other than my Grandmom Elizabeth (called Bessie), Granddad (called John), Uncle John (called Johnny), and Aunt Elizabeth (called Betty).

My Granddad is the tall slender man with a white shirt (back row 4th one from right).

My Grandmom is the plump woman in white seated directly in front of him.

My Aunt and Uncle are seated with the rest of the "children" on the ground (3d and 2nd from the right repectively). While some of the youngest of the children may be still alive, I do not know anything about them. My mom had not been born yet when this picture was taken.

I need to put the photographs back in the box and return them to the attic as I've gotten quite melancholy.

Photos In The Attic, Part Two

As of February 9, 2008 at 8:00 AM
Steps: 1,212,525
Miles: 516.30
Miles to Georgia: 16.70


Undated, Summer 1968?

Grandmom, my brother and I. Beach Haven, Long Beach Island, NJ. Grandmom often minded "the boys" when we were at the beach. Ironically, my brothers and I could all swim better then she could - in fact, I never saw my Grandmother wear a swimsuit or swim. The "boys" sure didn't mind that - and we sure looked forward to her fresh fried eggplant and flounder dinners.


Dated October, 2003?

My Nephew and I. Beach Haven Bay, Long Beach Island. It is windy and cold but it is Blue Crab season. Here you see one of my two nephews "manning the helm" of the Skimmer as I man the bridge. We caught no crabs but enjoyed pulling in a bunch of sufficiently gross seaweed to play with.


Undated

The Skimmer in port. Beach Haven, Long Beach Island, NJ. The Skimmer went between Beach Haven, NJ and Oxford, MD a number of times. It is now in Chestertown, MD next to the houseboat.